Broken leg won’t stop Schumacher this week

Top Fuel dragster remains in hunt

A broken left leg won't keep NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher from trying to compete this weekend in Baytown, Texas.

"I'm not doing this to look cool," said Schumacher, 126 points behind leader Gary Scelzi with three events remaining. "Everyone knows I'm hurt, everyone knows we've won some races, everyone knows we were going for the championship, so this wouldn't be some great loss of pride."

But his failure to race in the Matco Tools Supernationals certainly would mean a loss of points.

"I just didn't feel that our team should be No. 3," said Schumacher, who's 97 points ahead of Larry Dixon. "I didn't want to just sit on the sidelines and let that happen, watch it all go away."

Schumacher was injured Oct. 7 in a crash in Memphis, Tenn. His leg hurts and he's on clutches, but the 30-year-old driver from Park Ridge, Ill., says he can still work the clutch.

"We told the doctor that it takes a maximum pressure of 150 pounds to work the clutch, and he said I'll be able to do that," Schumacher said. "I know it's going to be painful, but I don't think there's another racer out there who wouldn't do the same thing."